Prisoners in Seclusion: A study into the experiences of prisoners in Northern Ireland who do not receive visits from family and friends whilst incarce

Summary: This doctoral research aims to analyse the experiences of men in prison in Northern Ireland who do not receive visits or other forms of contact from family or friends, whether through choice or because circumstances do not allow it. This project includes a collaborative arrangement with two third-sector organisations in Northern Ireland, namely, the Quakers Service and NIACRO. The perspectives of others within the system including prison and education staff, chaplains will also be considered. At its core, this work seeks to understand how being deprived of family or broader community contact impacts on experiences of imprisonment, for example, how it might affect a prisoner's sense of 'self' and how deprivation of close or familial contact interacts with the deprivations of liberty, security, autonomy, access to facilities and relationships. The research will explore which interventions might have the potential to mitigate against any damaging impacts of seclusion.